The Influence of Ascription, Achievement, and Educational Expectations on the Postsecondary Enrollment of Blacks and Whites. Report No. 257.

Thomas, Gail E.

In this study the effects of factors of ascription, achievement, and educational expectations on the type of college attended by blacks and whites who participated in the 1972 National Longitudinal Survey are examined. Findings indicate that the variables used in past models of educational attainment were also important in determining the type of college that students attended. However, contrary to observations from most past models of schooling, socioeconomic status (SES) and standardized test performance exerted a more equivalent effect among black and white college students. Racial differences in the predictability of this research model were lower than differences observed in most past models of educational attainment. The past finding of a higher enrollment of blacks than whites in two-year colleges held only to a limited extent when analyzing blacks and whites in the aggregate. (This finding was completely reversed when controlling for SES and standardized test performance.) Seven tables support the findings of the study and a lengthy bibliography lists other pertinent sources of information on the subject. (Author/WI)